THE LADIES COLUMN

Observer, Volume 1, Issue 11, 27 November 1880, Page 91

THE LADIES COLUMN

Swiss "belts are coming into fashion again. Pompadour girdles will be very much worn this season.

Indian and Chinese washing silks are noAV very fashionable.

Snow flake and polka dock stockings are likely to be all the go thia season.

There were very few light-coloured dresses at the dance in connection with the St. James' Young Men's Association.

It is now fashionable for young ladies to wear caps while indoors, and lace ones are most appropriate style for the summer.

One of the prettiest dresses, at the Temperance Hall " social" on Friday night, was a pale blue, worn by a Parnell young lady.

Parasols are now trimmed with a fringe of lace, Spanish being the most generally worn. It certainly produces the best effect.

The latest way of ornamenting parasols is to have a spray of flowers painted on the inside. A gentleman has discovered this.

Cardinal in dresses will be as much worn this season as it was last. Cream and old gold aud heliotrope seem also likely to be fashionable.

A very pretty dress I have seen lately was one of seal-brown silk in the princess robe style. It wag trimmed with silk of the same colour.

Gloves, to match the pompadour costumesj are among the latest Paris novelties, and will soon be worn here. Everything will be pompadour soon.

For hats and bonnets, poppies will be quite much worn as mounted roses, but I don't think they are to be preferred to the latter.

Gloves Avithout buttons, drawn right over the hand and held to the wrists by bracelets, will be among the next styles worn.

Amongst the new dresses seen out last week, I may mention a navy blue jersey costume, with a pompadour girdle. It looks " quite lovely, my dear."

"Gants de Suede," arc the latest thing in gloves. They look -well, and are, comparatively speaking, cheap.

Mrs. Des Vceux wears a very pretty dress ot fawn and brown, in the handkerchief style. Persons entirely unacquainted with the lady, have been heard to make very favourable comment of the same.

One of the prettiest chesses seen in town last week was a fine blue serge, trimmed with cardinal shoe laces tied in across the button of the sash. This is the first time such a costume has been seen in Auckland.

Buttons are abolished for ladies' paletots. The right thing is to have these garments of a neutral tint— grey or salmon-colour for choice— fastened with scarlet laces.

About three o'clock on a fine afternoon you may see m Queen-street a pale blue pompadour dress, trimmed with plain navy blue of a dark shade. It is on the princess robe style, buttoned at the back, and is altogether very tastefully and becomingly got up

It is an unusual, but not entirely novel custom for ladies to insure their dresses. I have just heard of an instance where an American lady insured her dresses against all risk for 25,000 dollars. This is a new line for our Insurance Companies.

You know the new charm, of course ? A pig. Pigs are now made in coral, in pearls, in gold, in silver, and in every material it is possible to make them. They are thought to bring good luck to the wearer, like horns, &c.

I noticed the other clay a seal-brown silk, made in the princess robe style, with buttoned-on train, and trimmings of kiltings and fringe. To complete the costume, a bonnet to match was worn, and altogether proved very becoming.

A polonaise just introduced is called the •'Pinafore. 11 It is made quite high at the back, the front being cut in the shape of the letter V. There is lace around the collar and the bodice is slightly full, and worn with a belt around the waist.

Says "Sketch," "They can ' build' bonnets in the Hue de la Puix, Paris. One dream I saw was a tiny, close-fitting shape in gold-coloured plush, with three over-blown golden-yellow roses on the side, and soft, loose strings of deep gold satin. Fancy one of Alfred de Musset's Spanish beauties' coiff6o like that."

A new device m the use of flowers is now in vogue in Paris, viz ., the wearing of a small bunch of natural flowers on the shoos, in place of the lace and ribbon rosettes of a few seasons ago. The favourites are primroses, yellow on one shoe, purple on the other, or mixed on both. Violets ore also much worn, and daisies just coming in.

Ladies who would like to wear velvet dresses, but have objections to the cost of such, and who also dislike velveteen, because of its " sham" appearance, will now be pleased to hoar that a new substitute for velvet has just come out. It is called the "Louis velveteen," and is said to be the best apology for velvet ever offered to the public. It is, moreover, obtainable at a comparatively small cost.

The settlers of Wliangaroa have "been " marriage mad" for the. past two months. They have had an average of one a week, and there seems to be every prospect of the race being kept up. The latest match is between a well-known English settler and a dusky damsel, the owner of a large tract of land in the township. The wedding takes place next week, and several more are " given out" to follow as soon as possible.

Mrs. J. C. Williamson (Miss Maggie Moore), the well-known actress, attracted, some considerable attention at the Melbourne races, where she appeared to great advantage in an ivory white satin and cashmere dress, forming' a Watteau back, the overskirt trimmed with deep Maltese lace, and exquisitely hand-painted ornaments, diamond cross and solitaire earrings, white satin parasol to match painting on dress, and white lace hat and feathers.

"For dinner and evening dresses," says a writer in " Truth," "jackets and habit-bodices of different colours are still much in favour. The only novelty as yet is that amongst the many kinds of white dresses so generally worn, the old-fashioned muslin with bird'seye, or other detached small patterns, is quite a favourite. It is worn over a coloured foulard or silk slips. The The usual shape is the round waist, with sash or waistband, or else very pointed in front and at the back, the skirt being trimmed with scarf drapery. The polonaise shape is also often adopted, with trixnining of Bre'tonnc lace, and coloured bows of ribbon to match the slip. The other white dresses are almost all trimmed with ribbons, andareoften worn with coloured bodices or habit-jackets. The colours most in fashion are the differents tints of red, pale blue pink, violet, and dark blue. The richer dresses for the same purpose are satin mixed with grenadine, crepe, and figured silk.

Wide mouths have come into fashion for women. This is a change from the prevailing style of the past year or two. The proper mouth of the present season is worn in a constant but mild smile, the corners being drawn back horizontally, with the lips left closed. The expression is one of amiable quiet satisfaction with all the world — as though the mind was free from sorrow and the feet free from corns. Care should be taken not to broaden this into an active grin, except on mirthful occasions; nor should the lips be compressed. All should be in repose. The lips may be reddened if the natural colour be too light. A practice of painting the exposed membrane of the upper lip broad and bright just at the centre has crept in, but it is bad, for it gives an artificial and sensuous look. The fashionable belle has cut the puckering string of her mouth, and no longer murmurs, " Prunes, prunes, prunes." She can kiss two men simulatneously, and give good satisfaction, where before only one could find room at a time.